The story notes that CPS has made international news with its request to bidders to build 400 megawatts of solar power in San Antonio, with a significant caveat — bids are being evaluated not just by price, but by the type and number of jobs that would be brought to San Antonio.

“Whether hype or hope,” writes reporter Laylan Copelin, “San Antonio’s muscle-flexing has lit a debate among Austin’s clean tech advocates about whether Austin Energy is in danger of losing its leadership role in clean technology and whether the city-owned utility could do more to attract jobs.”

Austin Energy reps and other folks say CPS is taking a risk leveraging the utility to bring jobs because it must choose winners and losers in a market that has yet to settle out.

Austin is “creating the market,” said Karl Rábago, Austin Energy’s vice president of distributed energy services. “You have a larger opportunity for success if you create a self-sustaining market.”

“Each community or utility has to determine what its best course of action is, based on their customers and their economic development focus. We feel that the approach San Antonio is taking in leveraging CPS Energy is right for us, but we wouldn’t presume to say our model is right for another community. There are just too many variables, and one size doesn’t fit all.”

Other are looking with envy at San Antonio and its efforts.

“It’s a tale of two cities. We’ve long led in the race to have the most sustainable energy,” said Tom “Smitty” Smith of Public Citizen. “Now we’re going to fall behind our neighbor to the south, who has read all of our studies and said they’ve got a good idea.”